Nicolas Raskin insists Rangers team spirit helped him overcome Celtic heartbreak alongside 'buddy' Todd Cantwell

They are tag-team partners off the pitch.

Now Nico Raskin hopes he and best bud Todd Cantwell can form an all-action pairing on it as Rangers look to wrestle back control of Scottish football. The Ibrox new boys have struck up an immediate friendship having checked in on Edmiston Drive only eight days apart.

It’s not quite been an inseparable relationship so far with the two January recruits living on opposite sides of their new home town. But through the wonders of modern technology and a shared love of UFC, former Standard Liege midfield ace Raskin and ex-Norwich playmaker Cantwell have been able to stay in touch even when they’re not joined at the hip at the club’s Auchenhowie training base.

They've been keeping in contact through online PlayStation sessions, and Raskin reckons their virtual scraps are every bit as competitive as the fight for places in Michael Beale’s midfield engine room. The Belgian Under-21 star grinned as he hinted so far he’s the one with the upper hand in the console grapple games.

But together with his new pal, he’s serious about their intention to mount a successful takedown of Celtic’s era of domestic domination. He said: “Todd’s helped me a lot because we came in the same situation.

“We're both new so we stay a bit together but I think everybody in the team is very kind with me. They help us a lot and we’re starting to enjoy being here with the boys, winning games and playing well, so everything is very good.

“We want to win something this year. At Rangers, we need to win every year. Is Todd my buddy? Yeah, that’s the description, I think everyone in my buddy. Ianis Hagi, Rabbi Matando too.

"The team is very close and we all help each other, I couldn’t imagine a better atmosphere, of course